AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – Five storylines to follow as the best players in the world descend upon Augusta National Golf Club this week for the April 6-9 Masters.
SCHEFFLER SEEKS RARE REPEAT
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who arrived at Augusta National last year as the hottest player on the planet, returns in top form and looking to become only the fourth player to successfully defend a Masters title.
A six-time winner on the PGA Tour, Scheffler has already won twice this season, first at the Phoenix Open in mid-February and then at The Players Championship three weeks ago when he cruised to a five-shot victory.
No player has won the Masters in consecutive years since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2001-02 and prior to that only Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) have pulled off the Augusta double.
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MCILROY’S GRAND SLAM BID
Rory McIlroy has a chance this week to complete the career Grand Slam of winning golf’s four major championships but will need to overcome an Augusta National layout that has been the site of several frustrating moments for the Northern Irishman.
McIlroy has been in contention several times at the Masters but seems to be hampered by one poor round each week, most memorably in 2011 when he began the final round with a four-shot lead but endured a harrowing back-nine collapse.
For McIlroy, who used a late surge to finish runner-up at last year’s Masters — three shots behind Scheffler — a win would put him in elite company with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only players to achieve the career Grand Slam.
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LIV GOLF
The Masters has long been one of the most anticipated golf events of the year and this year’s edition, the first since the launch of LIV Golf, promises plenty of intrigue as there will be 18 competitors from the Saudi-backed circuit in the field.
Among those competing will be a prominent group of LIV Golf players that, in addition to British Open winner Cameron Smith, include former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel.
LIV Golf has only held three events so far in 2023 — at Mayakoba in February, Tucson in March and last week in Orlando — and some experts wonder if those who compete on the circuit will show some competitive rust at the year’s first major.
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TIGER WOODS
Tiger Woods defied the odds at the 2019 Masters when he returned from spinal fusion surgery to win a fifth Green Jacket and now the 47-year-old, whose only start this year came in mid-February, will try to push the envelope even further.
Woods returned to competitive golf at last year’s Masters following a 2021 car crash which required emergency surgery and while he made the cut he struggled mightily on the weekend as he walked with a limp and used his clubs as impromptu canes.
While Woods looked more comfortable in his only start this year, his surgically reconstructed leg will be put to the test at Augusta National, a layout he knows better than anyone in the field but also one of the more taxing walks on the PGA Tour.
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COURSE CHANGES
After years of speculation, the tee box at the par-five 13th hole known as Azalea has been moved back and should therefore make the decision to go for the green in two much more difficult than players are used to.
As a result of the change, the yardage of Azalea, a sweeping dogleg left with a tributary to Rae’s Creek that winds in front of the raised green, will play 545 yards, an increase of 35 yards from its prior length.
Due to advancements in golf ball and equipment technology, the hole had become much easier in recent years with big hitters driving it over the corner of the dogleg which left them with a middle to short iron into the green for their second shot.
The hole has played to an historical scoring average of 4.77 that makes it the easiest hole at Augusta National.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Ken Ferris)
